Historic Powder Houses of New England: Arsenals of American Independence

SKU: 9781626192423

Author and researcher Matthew Thomas narrates the colorful histories of New England's powder houses as he resurrects their historical significance in early American history. In New England's colonial period, more than 200 powder houses were built to store gunpowder, guns and armaments. Even the spark from a metal shoe nail could ignite their contents, so they often sat in remote sections of town. These volatile storehouses played a vital role in earning and preserving American independence. It was, after all, to a powder house in Concord, Massachusetts, that the British army marched in April 1775 to seize colonists' gunpowder. The British were thwarted, and the colonists' defense of the powder house ignited the Revolutionary War. Add to this the duels, murders, public hangings, and tragic explosions that checkered the history of these structures, and the reader will discover a fascinating and forgotten aspect of New England's heritage.

Author: Matthew E. Thomas of Fremont, NH, studied architecture, archeology, and early American history at the College of William and Mary. He has devoted his life to researching, writing, preserving, and promoting New England history.
(Softcover; 192 pages)